Street Fighter 6: 10 Facts You Need To Know

Anyone who’s visited our esteemed website in the past will no doubt be aware that we love fighting games, so it’s no surprise that Street Fighter 6 is already near the top of our list of most anticipated games.

The grandfather of the fighting game genre might not have been at its best with Street Fighter V, especially as other games like Guilty Gear, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Tekken 7 rose to prominence, but Street Fighter 6 could be a return to form for the franchise.

Despite the fact that SF6 is pretty far away from release at this point, there’s still a huge amount of details about what the new game will look like, what gameplay mechanics will be in play and what modes there will be. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a handy guide of all the important facts about Street Fighter 6 you should know.

 

1. Street Fighter 6 Is Launching In 2023

Unfortunately, if you want to play Street Fighter 6 right now, you’ll have to wait a while, as Capcom has announced that Street Fighter 6 will only be launching in the summer of 2023. That release window is obviously subject to change too, as there’s no telling what kind of issues Capcom will face during development, or if problems with the world akin to the pandemic cause more strain on development.

 

2. It’s Coming To Xbox

It’s worth mentioning that, despite Street Fighter V being a console exclusive to PlayStation, alongside a PC release, Street Fighter 6 will be much more widely available. Capcom hasmade the decision to launch the game on PC, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X | S, meaning Xbox players aren’t left out in the cold this time around.

While SFV allows cross-play between PC and PlayStation players, there’s no confirmation right now that SF6 will also feature cross-play. Fingers crossed that it does, as it’d certainly help ensure the game has a healthy lifespan for the months and years after launch.

 

3. It’s Set After Street Fighter 3

Not many people know this, but Street Fighter actually pulled the Fast & Furious timeline hopping narrative before FF did, as Street Fighter IV was set between Street Fighter 2 and 3. Street Fighter V was a continuation from Street Fighter IV, but the new game will see the timeline jump to after Street Fighter 3.

This allows for perhaps the biggest changes to characters we’ve seen yet, with some leaks suggesting series mainstay Ken is going through a divorced dad phase, while Ryu is closer than ever to attaining his goal of martial arts mastery.

 

4. The Art Style Is Heavily Inspired By Graffiti

Upon the first reveal of Street Fighter 6, many were disappointed with what appeared to be a pretty bland and generic logo, but the visual style seen in-game is certainly a lot more stylish and evocative.

The past few Street Fighter games have used specific inspiration for their art design, with SF4 focused on paint and ink, while Street Fighter V utilises water during moves, supers, win animations and more. Street Fighter 6 is also following in those stylisation footsteps, using a graffiti inspired art style to make the game’s colours truly pop.

 

5. There’s A Modern Control System

One of the biggest barriers to entry for fighting games can be the unique control systems and strict execution required for special moves. Street Fighter 6 aims to do away with those issues by introducing a modern control system, where you’ll be able to perform special moves with just one button and a directional input.

You’ll even be able to perform target combos much easier too, though the classic six-button control system will remain for players who prefer the legacy method. Either way, more options should hopefully mean more players are attracted to the game.

 

6. The Drive System Celebrates The Entire Series

Most mainline Street Fighter games focus on one big gimmick or gameplay mechanic to distinguish themselves from other Street Fighter games. The gimmick in question for Street Fighter 6 is the Drive System, which incorporates a bunch of different. All in all, the Drive system looks like a celebration of a lot of the mechanics that have graced Street Fighter thus far.

The Drive system is split into 5 different moves. At a base level, there’s Overdrive, which functions the same way as EX moves from previous Street Fighter games. There’s Drive Impact, which allows you to absorb an attack while launching your own, which is somewhat similar to SFIV’s Focus Attacks, while Drive Parries are essentially Street Fighter 3’s parries and Drive Rushes allow you to close the distance after parries or normal attacks (which will cost more of your Drive meter). Lastly, Drive Reversal functions similarly to V-Reversals from SFV, letting players counter attack after blocking.

 

7. The World Tour Mode Looks Like A Grand Single-Player Adventure

Capcom are remaining tight-lipped about the full details of the World Tour mode, but from the brief glimpses and details that have been passed out so far, it could be Street Fighter 6’s best feature. From what we’ve seen, World Tour sees players creating their own custom avatar, exploring Metro City and perhaps other locations, challenging other characters to fights and hitting shoryukens on barrels.

 

8. The Battle Hub Should Add Something New To Online Matches

Building off of the World Tour mode, Battle Hub looks to be the next evolution of online lobbies, with players taking their custom avatars to giant meeting rooms where players can make friends, challenge each other to matches and establish rivalries. Like World Tour, Capcom is currently keeping quiet regarding the full extent of the mode, but expect to be wandering around the Hub looking for fights.

 

9. This Is The First Modern Street Fighter Game Since Yoshinori Ono’s Departure

Since the Street Fighter series returned in 2008 with Street Fighter IV, one man became synonymous with the franchise’s development and public image: Yoshinori Ono. After working with Capcom for 15 years at that point, Ono became responsible for shepherding the Street Fighter series through Street Fighter IV and V’s various iterations and re-releases, but he left Capcom in 2020 to ultimately join Delightworks. While he might have had a hand in Street Fighter 6’s early development, this will ultimately be the first Street Fighter game since the reboot to not heavily involve Ono, so it’ll be interesting to see how the final game shakes out.

 

10. You Can Pull Faces During Loading Screens

If you’re anything like me and appreciate the small, funny details in your fighting games, this fact is for you. During the loading screens of versus matches, which show the two characters facing each other, you’ll be able to press different buttons to pull funny faces at your opponents. It’s called the Game Face feature, and it’s reminiscent of Soulcalibur 2, which lets you taunt your opponent during versus screens by pressing buttons. Whether it’s a smug grin or some mean mugging, it’s a silly feature that’ll be sure to entertain people while they’re waiting for a match.

READ MORE: Why I’ll Always Love Fighting Games With Single-Player Modes